NAGA POLITICAL ISSUE
EMN
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 14
A group of former State MLAs and Church leaders under the banner ‘Concerned Naga Senior Citizens’ has expressed dismay over the recent statement of Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju that the NDA government would not allow the ongoing peace talks with NSCN (IM) to jeopardize Manipur’s territorial integrity made during his bye-election campaign for the BJP candidate Maibam Dhanabir in Manipur’s Thoubal district.
A memorandum to Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, appended by 7 signatories including T.A Ngullie (Former Minister), Bendangangshi ( Ex MLA), D.K Zeliang (Rural Economist & Environmentalist), Rev. L.Bizo (President Council of Rtd. Senior Admn. Officer), N.A Kasar (Ex. Lecturer International Naga Baptist Churches), Rev.Dr. Sumpi John (Theological College, Dimapur) and Rev. L. Suohie Mhasi (Ex. MLA) mentioned that the statement of the Union minister would jeopardize the peace talks between the two entities as there is no meeting point for solution of the longest revolutionary insurgency in the world without bringing all the Naga inhabited territories under one single umbrella administrative setup which is also a constitutional commitment of Government of India under the Sixteen Points Agreement of 1960 while granting Nagaland as the 16th State of Indian Union.
The memorandum submitted appealed to the Prime Minister to take a fresh look to the entire issue and come to a logical conclusion expeditiously by respecting the “Unique history and situation” of the Nagas which has been recognised as per the Amsterdam Joint Communiqué, July 11, 2002, during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime.
Meanwhile, the senior citizens also lauded the historic landslide victory by BJP party in the last 16th Lok Sabha election under Modi’s dynamic leadership. “Seeing this victorious achievement of your party the entire country is looking forward to bringing radical changes towards the upliftment of the people at the grassroot level up to their expectation,” the Naga senior citizens body said.
